If Armando Galarraga was preparing to return to Toledo once Dontrelle Willis returns from the disabled list, maybe he should put those plans on hold.  Because it looks like the ol' D-Train might need some more tuning up on his minor league rehab assignment.  (Trains don't really get tuned up, do they?  Another stretch of a metaphor, brought to you by BYB.) 

Check out the numbers Willis put up last night against the Charlotte Knights: Five runs, seven hits (two of which were home runs), and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.  (The smart-alecky among us - who dat? - might say such a stat line fits him right in with the Tigers' starting rotation.)  The Mud Hens' bats kept him from taking the loss, however, as Jeff Larish, Mike Hessman, Michael Hollimon, and Dane Sardinha each hit home runs, giving their starter run support that the big league guys still haven't consistently provided.

But maybe you can't discern the D-Train's performance solely by the numbers.  At least that's what they were saying on the Toledo side after the game:

"It looked like it was pretty good through about 70 pitches tonight," Mud Hens' manager Larry Parrish said.  "I thought he threw the ball well.  He just ran out of gas a little at the end."

Much like with a Spring Training start, perhaps it's somewhat unfair to judge a player on a rehab assignment, as he could be trying to work on something particular, rather than focus entirely on results.  (Though you would think the two would eventually cross purposes.)  But it's difficult to imagine the Tigers looking at what Willis did in this game and thinking he's ready to be called up.  He has one more rehab start scheduled for Saturday, but why not wait until Willis shows he's truly ready?  Especially when Galarraga is still pitching well enough to warrant more big league starts.

At least one of the Detroit starting pitcher threw well last night.  Unfortunately for the Tigers, he did so on a rehab assignment with the Toledo Mud Hens. 

Dontrelle Willis wasn't just making sure his knee felt better, but was also trying to regain the control that had eluded him in his first two starts this season.  The results from Toledo seemed encouraging in that regard, as Willis didn't walk any batters in his 4 2/3 innings.  And of his 72 pitches, 51 of them were thrown for strikes.  For the night, Willis gave up two runs on four hits (two of which were bloop singles), struck out four batters, and took the loss.

What did the Mud Hens think of Willis' outing?  Manager Larry Parrish thinks one more start with Toledo might help him.  From the Toledo Blade:

"He commanded his fastball better than he did this spring, but he needs to command his breaking ball better.

"Overall, he basically had a five-inning outing, no walks. I'd have to say that's positive."

The D-Train's next rehab start will likely be Wednesday in Toledo against Lehigh Valley, the Phillies Triple-A affiliate with an awesome team name.  His Mud Hens teammates should be happy he'll start at least one more game with them, as the Blade reported that Willis fulfilled the traditional expectation of footing the bill for a great food spread after the game.

When traveling to other countries, it's often a good idea to get your proper shots and vaccinations.  (At least that's what a lot of people have been telling me lately.)  Apparently, a couple of Detroit Tigers forgot to take some injury vaccines before crossing the Canadian border to play in Toronto.  As you likely already know, both Placido Polanco and Gary Sheffield sat out of yesterday's game to nurse their respective injuries, and there looks to be a good chance that both players could miss more time down the line.

The Tigers actually cut Polanco's stay in Toronto short and sent him back to Detroit to get his injured back examined.  Between his diminished batting average (currently a team-low .148/.292/.167) and limited range at second base so far this season, there had been much speculation about Polanco's health.  Whether it's because the back is making it too difficult for Polanco to play (he's missed four games to this point) or the Tigers think his limitations might be affecting them too much on the field, everyone involved wants to find out what's going on.  A trip to the disabled list might be next for Polanco.

Sheffield wasn't sent back to Detroit ahead of the team, but his sore left shoulder will be checked out by doctors on Tuesday.  He'd been feeling limited mobility in the shoulder all season, though he seemed to be regaining some range of motion as scar tissue from his off-season surgery broke loose.  It's still not moving enough for Sheffield's liking, however, and he wants some medical answers.

"It was major surgery, and I have to get it to a point where I'm comfortable.  Obviously I'm not.

"I want to get it looked at," Sheffield said.  "I want to know what's really going on, like exactly how much scar tissue I really need to break up because it feels strange playing baseball when you can't do what you're capable of doing.

"It doesn't hurt as much as it did, but it still doesn't give me the range of motion that I need.  When I try to swing harder, it slows it down even more.  I didn't know it was going to be this tight."

Though Sheffield had a rough start to last season, as well, he's clearly struggling with his swing, batting .192/.364/.308 with one home run and two RBIs.  The disabled list is very likely a part of his immediate future.

Curtis Granderson will probably take one of the roster spots opened up by Polanco and/or Sheffield moving to the DL, but it doesn't look like Dontrelle Willis will be making the same jump.  (He shouldn't be jumping anyway, with that hyper-extended knee.)  He's eligible to rejoin the team on Sunday, but the Tigers plan to keep him on the DL until the knee is fully recovered for pitching and fielding (and maybe until Willis has worked out whatever other issues - mechanical or otherwise - that have been plaguing him recently). 

The Detroit Tigers Weblog has some ideas about how the roster could be shuffled if Polanco and Sheffield go on the DL.  I'm definitely in favor of giving Jeff Larish a chance, given how he's started off the season in Toledo (.273/329/.576, five home runs, 13 RBIs), rather than bringing some of the bigger names that are currently hanging out on the waiver wire.  Some left-handed power in the lineup would be a nice touch.  But that's just my thought.  Do you guys have any suggestions for how the Tigers might boost a hurting lineup right now?

Despite Dontrelle Willis's insistence that he was okay and could still pitch after slipping on a rain-soaked mound during last night's game, virtually everyone who saw a replay of his right leg stretch out as it slid on the mud knew that just didn't look good.  Willis was taken out of the game after facing two batters and initially diagnosed with a hyper-extended right knee.

A MRI exam today discovered stretches in the knee and hamstring, but no tear in either area.  According to reports, Willis asked the Tigers to wait to see if he recovered enough to make his next start, but the team decided not to take any risks.  Willis goes on the 15-day disabled list (for the first time in his career), and Ryan Raburn was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to take his place on the roster.  He was batting .316/.435/.737 with two home runs and six RBIs in 23 plate appearances for the Mud Hens.

Detroit's next move will come when Willis's turn in the rotation comes up on Wednesday against Cleveland.  The plan is to call up Armando Galarraga from the Mud Hens and give him the start.  In two starts this season for Toledo, he's posted a 2-0 record and 2.25 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 12 innings.  Galarraga was acquired from the Texas Rangers organization in early February.

This game initially had major potential for disaster.  Dontrelle Willis walked the first two batters he faced, and added injury to indignity when his right foot slipped on the rain-slicked pitching mound as he was making a throw, resulting in what's been diagnosed as a hyper-extended right knee.  Willis left the game without getting an out, which meant that the bullpen that's been making women and children cry over the past nine games had to cover the entire game. 

And that's really the story of tonight's win.  We're all too eager to throw tomatoes at the bullpen when they're terrible, so when those relievers do a good job, we should stand up and clap.  Four relievers pitched nine innings and gave up only four hits to a White Sox lineup that crushed the ball last weekend in Detroit.

Aquilino Lopez was thrown into an extremely difficult situation, as a short reliever who simply had to give the team several innings.  And for just the second time in his career, Lopez pitched four of them.  Jason Grilli - the last guy any Tigers fan presumably wants to see on the mound right now - took over for Lopez and pitched three hitless innings of his own.  He started off shaky, hitting one batter and walking another, but got every hitter out from there.  Finally, in a save situation, Detroit's bullpen was able to progress from set-up man to closer.  Denny Bautista threw a scoreless eighth inning, capped off by Clete Thomas throwing Jermaine Dye (who clearly underestimated the young man in left field) out at second base.  And really, can you ever not appreciate Todd Jones pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning?

The night almost got even uglier when both Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen pulled up on the bases, feeling a twinge in their surely cold-stiffened legs.  Trainer Kevin Rand may have been on the field more than Jim Leyland tonight.  But neither player left the game, and the Tigers managed to end it before anything worse could happen.

But tonight was all about the bullpen, and this time for the right reasons.  A tip of the cap and a slow clap go to the relievers who gave the team exactly what was needed.

For his latest "Rumblings and Grumblings" column at ESPN.com, Jayson Stark included a couple of Tigers-related notes.  Curtis Granderson was listed among five players whose injuries have had the worst impact on their team.  But further down, Stark adds some coal to the "Dontrelle Willis is injured" furnace that's been giving off some smoke since Spring Training. 

The anecdote was prompted by a scout asking Stark if he was going to include Willis on his list of injured players, because he hasn't been looking very healthy on the pitching mound.

Scouts we surveyed say his velocity is down again, to the point where he pitches at 88-89 mph, though he sometimes gets one up there at 92-93.  And while his delivery has always been a bundle of flying elbows, knees and spikes, it's now so much more awkward that people are beginning to ask if something's up.

Tigers fans are familiar enough with Willis's difficulties with velocity and location after he walked seven White Sox batters last Saturday.  And Stark echoes the sentiment that if Willis is hurt, at least that provide some explanation to those wondering just what's going on with him.

  Check out this quote on the Tigers from Dan Graziano's Sunday Notes column in the Newark Star-Ledger:

"They look real slow," said the scout, requesting anonymity because of the protocol that prohibits members of his profession from publicly discussing players on other teams.  "If they're not hitting home runs, it's going to be tough for them to do much in terms of manufacturing runs, because it's all station-to-station."

The same scout acknowledged, however, that Curtis Granderson's return would bring some speed back to the lineup.

  At Tiger Tales, Lee writes a reassuring post about the Tigers' poor start.  But I'm hoping it's the last of the "bad starts don't mean bad seasons" posts and articles that we've been seeing over the past few days.

  Were the Tigers "disinterested" in their three games against Kansas City?  That's the adjective Mike Boddicker used when the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo asked him about the Royals' impressive start.

  There's a bit of gloating in Chris De Luca's recall of the White Sox backing off their pursuit of Miguel Cabrera when the Marlins insisted that Dontrelle Willis also be included in any such deal.

When the White Sox were talking trade with the Florida Marlins to land power-hitting third baseman Miguel Cabrera, they balked at demands that they must take Willis in the package. Sox scouts had noticed a major dip in Willis' velocity last season, and the Sox had no interest.

  Blame it all on Rodney?  Jon Paul Morosi points out how much one injured shoulder can make an offseason strategy suddenly fall apart.

What, we worry?

Following a horrifying Spring Training, Dontrelle Willis facing a rugged (despite horrible choices in facial hair) White Sox lineup had all the makings of a Saturday afternoon horror show.  It wasn't pretty, as Willis gave up seven walks in five innings, showing that the control problems he had in Lakeland are still a significant issue.  But he was effective, allowing only one hit, which is what the Tigers needed out of him.

But there's one big question mark the D-Train is dragging behind him right now, and that's his injury status. From the way he was shaking his hand and looking at it after his last few pitches to Orlando Cabrera, I wonder if maybe he developed a problem with a blister or fingernail.  If it's something worse, like a shoulder or forearm, Willis shouldn't try to be a tough guy and fight through it.  That's exactly the sort of thing that got the pitching staff in trouble last season.  With Monday's off-day, the Tigers could skip Willis's next turn if he needs it.

The Kid Stays in the Picture?

Depending on how Curtis Granderson is healing from his broken hand, the Tigers could be facing a tough decision with the sweet-swinging Clete Thomas.  Sure, it's a small sample size and maybe he's taking advantage of opposing pitchers' unfamiliarity with him right now, but after four games (14 at-bats), Clete's average is an impressive .500/.500/.571.  He's been playing well enough to reduce Ryan Raburn to an afterthought in the Tigers' current plans, and has really been the only consistent bat in Detroit's lineup since getting promoted to the starting lineup.

Will Clete eventually get squeezed out in a roster crunch?  Probably.  This early in the season, the Tigers likely weren't going to choose him over Jacque Jones, and Jones' bat is beginning to show some life, anyway.  And Clete is surely better off getting regular at-bats with Toledo, rather than cooling on the bench in Detroit.  But in what's been a frustrating, baffling opening week for the Tigers, at least there's been a fun story to follow.

Brandon Inge won't make that decision process any easier, either.  Can the Tigers afford to take his bat (.375/.474/.875, two home runs, four RBIs) out of the lineup right now?

He Can Be Center Field

Before the season began, I was trading instant messages with Kurt of Mack Avenue Tigers, and we wondered what the White Sox were thinking in making Nick Swisher their starting center fielder.  With the big center fields in the AL Central, how many extra-base hits would the Sox give up?  Obviously, I didn't know what the hell I was talking about.  Swisher was everywhere yesterday, snaring balls at the warning track and waiting for anything the Tigers hit into the gap.

If It's Any Consolation...

If I told you that the Cleveland Indians are also nursing a losing streak, having lost three in a row while also struggling with their bats, is that something that might interest you?

As a footnote to yesterday's interview with the Kansas City Star's Sam Mellinger, he only agreed to be interviewed by me if I would answer a few questions for him, as well.  Sam really had to twist my arm, as you know how I prefer not to talk about myself.  That's why I got into blogging, to keep my thoughts private.

So my answers to Sam's questions about this year's Detroit Tigers have now been posted at Ball Star for your viewing pleasure.  Topics of conversation ranged from the generous spending of Mike Ilitch to the possibility of the Tigers scoring 1,000 runs to concerns over Dontrelle Willis and the bullpen.  Oh, and if you ever wanted to know what my favorite restaurant is, that curiosity can now be satisfied.

Click on over there to give it a read, if you're so inclined.  And thanks once again to Sam for being so gracious with his time over the past week.

  Who is Clete Thomas?  Apparently, he could be the outfielder who replaces Curtis Granderson while he's out with an injury.

Both Jon Paul Morosi and Danny Knobler have reported that the rookie has made quite an impression on Jim Leyland, thus compelling Mack Avenue Tigers and Tiger Tales to post some background on the young man.  A left-handed bat who can play some center field would fit in nicely right now.

  In this morning's Detroit News, Lynn Henning has some revelatory quotes from Jim Leyland on yesterday's release of Tim Byrdak.  The biggie?

"When you're hoping a major-league pitcher throws strikes, in most cases he probably doesn't belong on your team."

  In lieu of that remark, where does that leave Dontrelle Willis?  Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson (who, thankfully, is still in Pittsburgh) had good things to say about the movement on Willis's pitches, though.

  Denny Bautista's excellent spring has been rewarded with some responsibility.  When the Tigers open the season, he'll be the bullpen's eighth-inning man.  (At this point, was there any other place to pitch him?)

  The Daily Fungo has updates on more than a dozen former Detroit Tigers and the teams they're currently with.  When did Milwaukee become a haven for failed Tigers prospects?  

  Sports Illustrated is picking the Tigers to win the 2008 World Series?  Is that good or bad?  Well, at least they're not on the cover of SI's baseball preview, so the jinx is presumably not in effect.  (Isn't it interesting, by the way, that each of the young superstars on the cover play in the National League?)

  Also previewing your 2008 Detroit Tigers is ESPN.com.  Did they really not mention the bullpen as one of the Tigers' weaknesses?  How about that?  (via The Cutoff Man)

  Hey, I think we have a trend!  USA Today has also published its preview of the AL Central, and favors the Tigers nicely while featuring Magglio Ordonez.

  In anticipation of the Opening Day collision between the Tigers and Kansas City Royals, Royals Authority analyzes the Detroit lineup.

  This is a few days old, so maybe you've already seen this, but Big League Stew ranked each of the ballparks they visited this spring, and Joker Marchant Stadium comes out looking good.